12 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Of the Tinee taken I note a long series of Stathmopoda pedella, 
which was obtained by beating and shaking the branches of 
some old alders. The few remaining species found moderately 
common in this month, and which I have not yet enumerated, 
are Agrotis porphyrea and Pempelia palumbella (flying on heaths 
at dusk), and Gelechia ligulella, Parasia parenthesella, and Platytes 
cerussellus, most readily obtained by sweeping grassy spots on 
heaths. During August Macro collecting somewhat improved, 
but was still far below that of an average season, inasmuch as 
several species, which to my knowledge had not failed to occur 
annually, were this time unrepresented. Frequent visits to a 
locality overgrown with rushes was productive of a good series 
each of Crambus hamellus and C. latistriellus, with a few C. 
pinetellus, C. inquinatellus and C. geniculellus, all of which were 
met with by day, but were more plentiful after dusk, when they 
flew freely. 
Having thus enumerated the best of the species met with here 
during the season, I will conclude with a few remarks on one of 
the probable indirect causes of this generally admitted dearth of 
Lepidoptera, viz., ‘“‘the previous mild winter.” For the last 
three or four years I have habitually done some little pupa 
digging in the autumn and spring, and also, when practicable, 
during the winter months, but never have I seen, as I witnessed 
last winter and spring, so many shells and remains of pups, 
which to all appearances had been recently destroyed by carni- 
vorous beetles, earwigs, or other insects of a similar predaceous 
nature. This I especially noticed when working for pupe of 
Trachea piniperda and Fidonia piniaria beneath the moss in fir- 
woods. In some instances the “ culprit”? (generally a beetle or 
earwig) could be seen, either very near the partly consumed 
pupa or actually concealed in the pupa itself. That the mild 
weather experienced during the last winter favoured the work of 
destructive beetles and other insects of a cannibal disposition 
(if not their increase), there can be little doubt. Such weather 
would also enable them to pursue their work of destruction con- 
tinuously throughout the winter months. ‘This in itself may be 
sufficient to account for the scarcity of healthy pupe of T. pini- 
perda, and the abnormal scarcity here of imagines of such a 
common insect as I’. piniaria, both of which would, as pupe, lie 
comparatively unmolested in normal winters. On the other 
